NHL Betting Info. 4/3

[TheGame]

NHL Knowledge

Hot teams
-- Chicago won three of its last four games.
-- Penguins won 10 of their last 11 games.
-- Flyers won four of last five.
-- Colorado won five of its last six games.
-- Dallas Stars won six of their last seven games.
-- Ducks won three of their last four.

Cold teams
-- Bruins lost six of their last eight games.
-- Minnesota lost its last two games, after winning previous six.
-- Jets lost last four games, all by one goal, two in OT.
-- Colorado lost four of its last five games.

Series records
-- Bruins won three of last four games with Chicago.
-- Penguins won last two games with Philly, after losing previous eight.
-- Winnipeg won five of its last six games with Minnesota.
-- Avalanche won three of last four games with St Louis.
-- Dallas Stars lost five of last seven games with Anaheim.

Totals
-- Under is 6-2-1 in last nine Boston games.
-- Over is 5-1-2 in last eight Pittsburgh games.
-- Four of last six Minnesota-Winnipeg games stayed under.
-- Under is 8-1-1 in last ten St Louis-Colorado games.
-- Over is 4-1-1 in last six Anaheim games.

Back-to-backs
-- Flyers are 4-7 if they played the night before.
-- Penguins won last five games if they played the night before.
-- Dallas Stars lost their last five games if they played the night before.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

NHL notebook: Maple Leafs' Michalek out for season
By The Sports Xchange


Toronto Maple Leafs forward Milan Michalek will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury, the team announced Saturday.
Michalek suffered the injury in Thursday night's game 4-1 loss to the Buffalo Sabres.
Michalek, 31, has recorded 16 points (seven goals, nine assists) in 45 games this season.
The Maple Leafs also recalled forward Frederik Gauthier from the Toronto Marlies of the American Hockey league on an emergency basis.
Gauthier, 20, has skated in two games with the Maple Leafs this season. The Laval, Quebec, native has appeared in 54 games with the Marlies, registering 17 points (six goals, 11 assists) and 10 penalty minutes.
Gauthier was drafted by the Maple Leafs in the first round (21st overall) of the 2013 NHL draft.


---The Anaheim Ducks reassigned defenseman Shea Theodore to the San Diego Gulls of the AHL.
Theodore, 20, has collected seven points (three goals, four assists) and two penalty minutes in 17 games with the Ducks this season, making his NHL debut on Dec. 29. On Jan. 13 against Ottawa, he became the first Ducks rookie to have his first NHL goal come as a power play/game-winning score since 2006 .
The Langley, British Columbia, native has appeared in 47 AHL games this season, recording 31 points (eight goals, 23 assists) and 32 penalty minutes.


---Pittsburgh Penguins center Sidney Crosby, who was named the NHL's first star for March on Friday, earned another honor Saturday, when the team named him its Most Valuable Player.
It is the sixth team MVP for Crosby, second-most in franchise history behind owner Mario Lemieux.


---New York Islanders defenseman Travis Hamonic will miss the final six games of the regular season after suffering what is believed to be a right knee injury Thursday.
Hamonic missed the regular-season finale and each of the Islanders' seven playoff games last year with a left knee injury.

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

Preview: Bruins (41-29) at Blackhawks (45-26)


Date: April 03, 2016 12:30 PM EDT


The questions surrounding the Chicago Blackhawks concerning suspensions, injuries and their playoff standing are slowly getting answered.


The Boston Bruins' top concern is still up in the air.


The Blackhawks continue life without several key contributors on Sunday as they try to build their lead for a top-three spot in the Central Division against the visiting Bruins, who hope not to fall out of a frantic Eastern Conference race.


Chicago (45-26-7) seems destined for a first-round matchup against either Dallas or St. Louis in the West due to a healthy lead over Nashville for the Central's third automatic spot with four games left.


The Blackhawks learned prior to Friday's game at Winnipeg that they would play their final five contests plus their playoff opener without reigning Conn Smythe Trophy winner Duncan Keith, who was suspended by the NHL for 'dangerously and violently' high-sticking Minnesota's Charlie Coyle in Tuesday's 4-1 loss.


'One playoff game is very big when you know his importance to our team and the minutes that he absorbs,' coach Joel Quenneville said.


The fear is that Chicago will also be without injured goaltender Corey Crawford for the beginning of its Stanley Cup defense, though he took the ice at Saturday's practice for the first time since mid-March to work out with goaltender coach Jimmy Waite.


There has been growing concern about Crawford's injury, which is officially listed as an upper-body ailment but is feared to be a concussion or related to vertigo. Quenneville said Saturday he hopes Crawford can play in a game prior to the playoffs.


In the meantime, it will be backup Scott Darling making his ninth straight start on Sunday. Darling has helped the Blackhawks to a 4-3-1 record without Crawford with a .912 save percentage, exactly his season mark.


While Marian Hossa will return from an illness that kept him out of Friday's 5-4 overtime win at Winnipeg, Andrew Shaw will sit after suffering an upper-body injury.


However, the Blackhawks still have linemates Patrick Kane and Artemi Panarin. Kane scored his 40th goal and added an assist against the Jets to move his NHL lead to 96 points, and Panarin had two goals and two assists to improve his rookie-leading numbers to 27 and 41.


Chicago followed a 1-4-2 stretch with three wins on its four-game road trip.


Kane and Panarin will try to help the Blackhawks snap a four-game home skid when they face Tuukka Rask, who has an .888 save percentage in his last seven starts after Friday's 6-5 win at St. Louis.


However, Boston (41-29-8) picked up a significant victory thanks to two goals and two assists from David Krejci and one of each from Matt Beleskey and Loui Eriksson. The Bruins are in a tight race with Detroit for the Atlantic's third seed and could miss out on a wild-card spot if they lose it.


Boston had scored only 10 goals while losing six of its previous seven games.


'You have to play desperate every night and now we have to move forward,' said Patrice Bergeron, who scored his 30th goal. 'It's about making sure we do the job and we only worry about that one game.'


Bergeron, Eriksson, Brad Marchand and Ryan Spooner scored as the Bruins beat Chicago 4-2 on March 3 in Boston. It was their second straight win over the Blackhawks during a 5-1-1 stretch in this series.


Boston has a seven-game regular-season point streak at the United Center, compiling a 4-0-3 record there since February 2004

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

Preview: Flyers (39-25) at Penguins (45-25)


Date: April 03, 2016 5:00 PM EDT


A second-half resurgence has the Pittsburgh Penguins back in the playoffs. The Philadelphia Flyers may be joining them with an outstanding run of their own.


The Keystone State rivals also share the distinction of the Eastern Conference's two hottest teams when they face off Sunday night for the first of two late-season matchups.


Both clubs were on the outside of the playoff picture in mid-January, but each has been among the NHL's best since the All-Star break. The Flyers have turned around a season destined for disappointment by going 13-3-2 since Feb. 25, a mark surpassed only by the Penguins' 15-4-0 record over that span.


Pittsburgh (45-25-8) enters its final home game having won five straight and 11 of 12 and with a 10th consecutive postseason berth sewn up following Saturday's 5-0 rout of the New York Islanders. The Penguins have outscored opponents 24-10 in the last five, with their offense continuing to produce despite Evgeni Malkin having missed 11 straight with an upper-body injury.


'I don't know if anyone expected us to put as many (wins) together as we have down the stretch,' said Sidney Crosby. 'We've worked hard. We've earned it.'


Crosby has been the most responsible for Pittsburgh's surge, amassing a league-high 25 points over 18 games since Feb. 29. The captain extended his current point streak to five by notching his 600th career assist on Saturday.


Having survived Malkin's departure from the lineup, the Penguins now must withstand a potential extended absence from Marc Andre-Fleury after the goaltender was diagnosed with a concussion on Friday. Matt Murray filled in ably against New York, recording 24 saves for his first NHL shutout.


Philadelphia (39-25-13) has no worries at the position with Steve Mason playing his best hockey of the season during the stretch run. He stopped 33 shots in Saturday's 3-2 victory over Ottawa to improve to 9-2-2 with a 1.89 goals-against average over his last 13 starts.


"A lot of what I'm doing has to do with the guys in front," he said. "I think overall we're playing real solid hockey and in turn makes my job a lot easier. We're scoring goals at probably our best clip of the year too, so that also helps."


The Flyers scored three power-play goals - two from Wayne Simmonds - in winning their third straight and maintaining a hold on the East's final wild-card spot. They're one point above Boston with a game in hand on the Bruins and two behind the Islanders for the first wild card with five remaining.


'We're trying to solidify our spot,' Simmonds said. 'If we catch some teams on the way, then that's great. We just want to make sure that we're getting in. That's our goal.'


Mason has yielded only 12 goals over a 5-1-1 stretch but hasn't been as sharp in two losses to the Penguins this season, one a 41-save effort in a 4-3 defeat Jan. 21 in Pittsburgh.


The Penguins, who snapped an eight-game series losing streak with that result, outshot the Flyers 35-17 in a 4-1 victory in Philadelphia on March 19.


Phil Kessel scored twice in the first matchup and had a power-play goal against New York, giving him five with five assists over his last five.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

Preview: Wild (38-30) at Jets (31-39)


Date: April 03, 2016 8:00 PM EDT


After hitting a bit of a roadblock this week, the Minnesota Wild appear to have an opportunity to get on track as they chase a fourth straight playoff appearance.


The Winnipeg Jets have one of the league's worst records, but Blake Wheeler has led a club that has given the Wild all they can handle over the past two seasons.


Needing a win and some help to clinch a playoff spot, visiting Minnesota will try to avoid its third straight loss overall and sixth in seven meetings with Winnipeg on Sunday night.


A six-game winning streak gave the Wild a decent cushion in the race for the Western Conference's final wild-card berth, but that momentum has dissipated following a 3-2 home loss to Ottawa on Thursday and a 3-2 defeat at Detroit on Friday.


Zach Parise scored five of the team's 14 goals over the last three games of its run before Minnesota struggled offensively in the past two. That caused interim coach John Torchetti to move Mikael Granlund to the top line with Parise and Mikko Koivu. Charlie Coyle was shifted to the second line with Thomas Vanek and Jason Zucker.


The Wild could utilize that look more since Torchetti seemed to like the results.


"That (Granlund) line was getting a couple of looks (after the change)," he told the team's official website. "Charlie did a really good job playing at center; he was so big and strong, and getting us a little more puck possession, and getting us some possession coming out of our d-zone with his size and strength."


With three games left for Minnesota and four for Colorado, the Wild own a five-point lead over the Avalanche in the race for the second wild-card spot. They can wrap up the playoff berth Saturday with a victory and a Colorado home loss to St. Louis.


'Now we go to Winnipeg and see what happens," Granlund said.


Minnesota (38-30-11), though, could have a difficult time doing its part. The club has totaled just one goal in dropping the past two meetings with Central Division-worst Winnipeg (31-39-8) and has gone 1-4-1 in the series since February 2015.


Jets goalie Michael Hutchinson has four wins in his last 25 games but is 3-2-1 with a 2.26 goals-against average in seven career outings against the Wild.


Wheeler has been a thorn in Minnesota's side, totaling three goals and seven points in the last five meetings. The right wing also has four goals and 10 points over a seven-game point streak after scoring twice in Friday's 5-4 home loss to Chicago.


Dustin Byfuglien had a goal and two assists and Mark Scheifele added two assists. Scheifele has three goals and six assists over a six-game point streak.


The Jets, however, are trying to stay out of the conference cellar following a four-game losing streak.


"Byfuglien and Wheeler (are) playing exceptionally well and exceptionally hard," coach Paul Maurice told the team's official website. "This has been an exceptionally difficult thing to go through. It's been a long run here. It speaks volumes to their leadership and how driven they are. They come to the rink, they come to play every night in a really tough situation."


Minnesota defenseman Jared Spurgeon, who sustained a lower-body injury on Thursday and did not play in Detroit, is day-to-day.

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

Preview: Blues (46-23) at Avalanche (39-35)


Date: April 03, 2016 8:00 PM EDT


Recent struggles have the Colorado Avalanche teetering on elimination from the Western Conference playoff race again. Their remaining four games come against teams that have already booked spots in the postseason.


The Avalanche try to keep their hopes alive Sunday night against the St. Louis Blues.


Colorado (39-35-4) is five points behind Minnesota for the last remaining playoff spot in the conference. Despite having a game in hand, the Avalanche will be eliminated from the race with a regulation loss combined with a Wild win in Winnipeg on Sunday.


Even with a win, the Avalanche's remaining schedule is daunting with matchups at Nashville and Dallas before concluding the season at home versus Anaheim on Saturday.


"We have a tough road ahead of us, but it's still possible to make the playoffs. So that's really where the focus is," right wing Jarome Iginla told the team's official website. "Now it's St. Louis. Like I said, it's a hard road, but it is still possible. The only chance we have to do it is to focus on our games."


That's not quite worked out with Colorado losing four of its last five games, including a 3-1 loss at St. Louis on Tuesday after winning the three previous season matchups.


The Avalanche have also dropped three in a row at home, and they dropped four straight there on three previous occasions this season - most recently from Feb. 2-9.


They fell behind 3-0 while falling 4-2 to league-best Washington on Friday.


"We know why we're losing," coach Patrick Roy said, alluding to turnovers. "Is it too late to fix? We'll see. All I can say to you is we've talked about it for a while, and we know we need to be better at it. You've heard me saying that many, many times."


Finding the net would also help. The Avalanche have been outscored 15-5 during the four losses over their past five games.


Iginla's goal against the Capitals snapped his 12-game drought. It also moved him within one of Bobby Hull's 610 for 16th on the NHL's all-time goal-scoring list.


Iginla hasn't scored in six straight meetings with the Blues, while Matt Duchene has three points in his past four. A knee injury forced him to miss the most recent matchup, and he returned with a pointless effort Friday.


Duchene had six points in four games before sitting out six with the injury. His 29 goals are a career high, but he's only netted 10 at home.


The Blues (46-23-9) are headed back to the postseason for a fifth straight year and are trying to move closer to securing at least second place in the Central Division. They trail West-leading Dallas by four points with four games left - one more than the Stars.


St. Louis' position affords them the luxury of resting players, and coach Ken Hitchcock intends to do that with center Robby Fabbri (lower body) and defensemen Jay Bouwmeester (upper body) and Carl Gunnarsson (lower body).


"None are going to play in Colorado, but it's a good sign that they were able to participate right until the end (of practice Saturday)," Hitchcock told the team's official website.


Hitchcock is also giving goaltender Brian Elliott the night off after he was pulled after two periods in Friday's 6-5 loss to Boston. Elliott gave up five goals on 23 shots but didn't get a decision to keep his nine-game winning streak intact.


Allen allowed one goal on five shots against the Bruins after making 32 saves in a 4-0 win at Washington on March 26. He's lost three straight starts against Colorado with a 4.03 goals-against average.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

Preview: Stars (48-22) at Ducks (43-24)


Date: April 03, 2016 9:00 PM EDT


A year after missing the playoffs for the sixth time in seven tries, the Dallas Stars may wind up with the most points in the Western Conference for the first time in 13 years.


Their pursuit of the top seed also helped the Anaheim Ducks' chances of regaining the Pacific Division lead.


The Stars might have a chance to clinch home-ice advantage through the West playoffs Sunday night against the Ducks.


Dallas (47-22-9) finished seven points shy of a playoff spot last season but don't have any such worries now, having already secured a berth while leading St. Louis by four points for the conference lead.


The Stars can clinch the top seed with a win combined with the Blues losing in regulation to Colorado on Sunday.


Dallas has won four straight and seven of its last eight after Patrick Eaves and Jordie Benn scored in the third period to rally for a 3-2 win at Los Angeles on Saturday.


"It's huge to come back in their building in the third and get the two points that we needed to stay up on St. Louis," said Eaves, who has a goal in each of the last two games. "That was huge for us."


The comeback also helped out the Ducks (43-24-10), who trail the Kings by one point in the Pacific race with five games left - having one in hand.


Anaheim, though, failed to help itself Friday, losing 3-2 to Vancouver after going 5-1-1 in its previous seven games.


"I don't think we've played exceptionally well in the last little bit," center Andrew Cogliano said. "We need to get our game in order in terms of playing against some of the best teams now, and Dallas is top of the conference for a reason.


"This will be a good measuring stick to see where we are as a team and how far we've come. It'll show us what level we need to be at going into the playoffs."


Corey Perry is looking to bounce back from his pointless effort from Friday after he had one in each of the previous five. The right wing has 22 points over his last 24 meetings with the Stars, including the playoffs. He had one of the Ducks' four goals in the opening period of a 4-2 home win Jan. 15.


Jakob Silfverberg had a goal and assist in that matchup. The right wing enters this one with nine goals and three assists over the past 10 games, collecting eight of those points in five at home.


Jamie Benn's 41 goals are the most by a Stars player since Mike Modano had 50 in 1993-94, while his 88 points are the most since Brad Richards' 91 in 2009-10.


Benn seems poised to at least catch Richards after scoring nine times with eight assists over the past 13 games.


He's got 28 points spanning his last 30 overall meetings with the Ducks, including seven in the past three after scoring a goal in January.


Jason Spezza assisted on that tally as part of his 19 points over the last 18 road games. The center also set up Benn's goal Saturday, giving him three assists during the past two away from Dallas.

[TheGame]

Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

Grand Salami - April


The Grand Salami in pro hockey is decided by adding up all the goals scored in every game scheduled for that particular day. You can wager on 'over' or 'under' the Grand Salami total. The total is set by adding up all listed 'over/under' odds for each game on that particular day.


Note: The Grand Salami will have no action if any game is suspended or cancelled before the regulation time of three twenty minute periods. Also, regardless of the number of goals scored during the shoot out portion of the overtime, the final scored recorded for the game will give the winning team on more goal than its opponent based on the score at the end of regulation time.


*The majority of sportsbooks do not put out a total on the Grand Salami when there is only one game on the card. For tracking purposes, we will continue to show the 'over/under' for goals and combined goals scored on days with just one game.


NHL GRAND SALAMI
Date No. of Games Total Goals Combined Goals Scored Result
4/1 5 25 36 OVER
4/2 11 58 57 UNDER
4/3 5 - - -
4/4 5 - - -
4/5 11 - - -
4/6 3 - - -
4/7 13 - - -
4/8 1 - - -
4/9 15 - - -

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

Preview: Boston at Chicago
When: 12:30 PM ET, Sunday, April 3, 2016
Where: United Center, Chicago, Illinois
A late-season tailspin likely torpedoed the Chicago Blackhawks’ bid for a division title and may have cost them a chance for home ice in the first round of the playoffs. The situation is more precarious for the Boston Bruins, who are fighting for a postseason spot as they prepare to visit the Blackhawks on Sunday afternoon.
Chicago capped a 3-1-0 road trip with a 5-4 overtime win at Winnipeg on Friday to draw within four points of second-place St. Louis in the Central Division. The Blackhawks have dropped four in a row at home, however, and have had major issues with the Bruins, who are 4-0-3 in their last seven at United Center. Boston scored only 10 goals during a 1-6-0 slide before its offense erupted in a 6-5 victory at St. Louis on Friday and sits one point behind third-place Detroit in the Atlantic Division with one game in hand. The Bruins, who also trail Philadelphia by one point for the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference, improved to 5-1-1 in their last seven versus Chicago with a 4-2 home victory on March 3.
TV: 12:30 p.m. ET, NBC, Sportsnet, TVA
ABOUT THE BRUINS (41-29-8): Boston has concerns on the blue line after defenseman Kevan Miller was forced to exit Friday’s game with a lower-body injury and Dennis Seidenberg missing the road trip due to a similar ailment. David Krejci sparked the offensive explosion Friday by scoring twice and assisting on a pair of tallies while Patrice Bergeron reached 30 goals for the third time in his career. “You have to play desperate every night, and now we have to move forward,” Bergeron said. “It’s about making sure we do the job and we only worry about that one game.”
ABOUT THE BLACKHAWKS (45-26-7): Veteran Marian Hossa, who is one goal shy of 500, was back at practice Saturday after missing the previous night’s game, but Andrew Shaw will sit out the contest with an upper-body injury sustained on Friday. Artemi Panarin snapped a nine-game goal-scoring drought by netting two tallies and setting up two others to boost his NHL rookie-leading totals to 27 goals and 41 points. Corey Crawford was on the ice Saturday for the first time since he was hurt on March 14 and could practice soon, coach Joel Quenneville said.
OVERTIME
1. Chicago RW Patrick Kane, who has recorded 40 goals and a league-high 96 points, has notched four tallies and four assists in 11 games against the Bruins.
2. Bergeron has registered five goals and 16 points in 13 contests versus Chicago.
3. Blackhawks D Duncan Keith will serve the second contest of his six-game suspension for swinging his stick at Minnesota’s Charlie Coyle.
PREDICTION: Blackhawks 4, Bruins 3

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Preview: Philadelphia at Pittsburgh
When: 5:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 3, 2016
Where: Consol Energy Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Two of the hottest teams in the league look to continue their surge toward the postseason when the Philadelphia Flyers visit the Metropolitan Division-rival Pittsburgh Penguins on Sunday. The Penguins have won five in a row after recording a 5-0 rout of the New York Islanders on Saturday to clinch a playoff spot while the Flyers were edging Ottawa 3-2 for their third straight triumph.
Pittsburgh has won 11 of its last 12 contests and is 10-1-0 since All-Star Evgeni Malkin went down with an injury but will be without Marc-Andre Fleury indefinitely due to his second concussion of the season. Rookie Matt Murray made 24 saves for his first NHL shutout Saturday and Jeff Zatkoff was the backup for the Penguins, who occupy second place in the Metropolitan and are 10-2-0 in their last 12 games against division rivals. Philadelphia improved to 13-3-2 over its last 18 contests by netting three power-play goals to beat the Senators on Saturday and keep hold of the second wild-card spot in the Eastern Conference. Steve Mason has been outstanding in net for the Flyers, allowing two or goals or fewer in seven consecutive games.
TV: 5 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, ROOT (Pittsburgh)
ABOUT THE FLYERS (39-25-13): Wayne Simmonds recorded a pair of goals Saturday to push his season total to a team-high 28 – one away from matching his career high set in 2013-14. Captain Claude Giroux, who leads the team with 65 points, was kept off the scoresheet Saturday but has scored four goals in his last seven contests. Jakub Voracek snapped a three-game point drought with two assists against the Senators while Brayden Schenn has recorded a goal and three assists in the last three contests.
ABOUT THE PENGUINS (45-25-8): Captain Sidney Crosby, who got off to an uncharacteristically slow start this season, leads the team with 81 points and has notched at least one in 17 of his last 18 contests. Defenseman Kris Letang extended his point streak to five games with an assist Saturday and Phil Kessel has recorded five goals in his last five contests to reach 26 on the season. The Penguins got back Brian Dumoulin from an upper-body injury Saturday and fellow defenseman Olli Maatta (lower body) could return soon.
OVERTIME
1. The Flyers signed G Ray Emery for the rest of the season to give them a veteran option in net with only rookie Anthony Stolarz behind Mason.
2. Pittsburgh RW Patric Hornqvist reached 20 goals for the third straight season and sixth time in his last seven campaigns with a tally Saturday.
3. The Penguins won both of their previous two meetings with the Flyers, including a 4-1 triumph on March 19, and conclude the season series on April 9 in Philadelphia.
PREDICTION: Flyers 4, Penguins 3

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

Preview: Minnesota at Winnipeg
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 3, 2016
Where: MTS Centre, Winnipeg, Manitoba
The Minnesota Wild have an opportunity to secure a playoff berth for the fifth consecutive season on Sunday, when they visit the Central Division-rival Winnipeg Jets. The Wild own a five-point lead over Colorado for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference and will clinch a trip to the postseason with a victory over the Jets and a loss by the Avalanche to the visiting St. Louis Blues on Sunday.
Minnesota appeared to be a lock for the playoffs following a six-game winning streak, but back-to-back one-goal losses to Ottawa and Detroit stalled its drive. The Wild have had their struggles against Winnipeg, losing five of the last six meetings – including three of four this season. Minnesota, which winds up the season with home games against San Jose and Calgary, has not allowed more than three goals in its last eight contests. The Jets are in the midst of a four-game skid (0-2-2) and will play their final home contest before finishing the season with a three-game California road trip.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN North (Minnesota), Sportsnet (Winnipeg)
ABOUT THE WILD (38-30-11): Coach John Torchetti juggled his lines Friday in Detroit, moving Charlie Coyle between Thomas Vanek and Jason Zucker while shifting Mikael Granlund to a unit with captain Mikko Koivu and Zach Parise. “That (Granlund) line was getting a couple of looks,” Torchetti told reporters. “Charlie did a really good job playing at center; he was so big and strong, and getting us a little more puck possession.” Erik Haula had his 10-game point streak snapped Friday, but he has recorded only one goal in nine games versus Winnipeg.
ABOUT THE JETS (31-39-8): Blake Wheeler scored a pair of goals and set up another in Friday’s overtime loss to Chicago to establish a career high with 72 points. “I’m still, regardless of where we’re standing, trying to win hockey games,” said Wheeler, who acknowledged that the personal milestone will provide satisfaction down the road. “At some point after the season, I’ll look back on it and be proud of the work I put in.” Riding a seven-game point streak, Wheeler has burned the Wild with three goals and four assists in the last five meetings.
OVERTIME
1. The Jets have failed on all 25 power-play chances over their last 10 games.
2. Wild D Jared Spurgeon, who missed Friday’s game, will skate Sunday morning to determine if he’s available.
3. Winnipeg C Mark Scheifele has collected three goals and six assists during his six-game point streak.
PREDICTION: Wild 4, Jets 3

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

Preview: St. Louis at Colorado
When: 8:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 3, 2016
Where: Pepsi Center, Denver, Colorado
The St. Louis Blues jolted the Colorado Avalanche’s postseason hopes early last week and can possibly eliminate their Central Division rivals from postseason contention when they pay a visit to Pepsi Center on Sunday. The Avalanche have dropped four of their last five contests and trail Minnesota by five points for the second wild-card spot in the Western Conference with four games to play.
The Blues have plenty on the line as they pursue first-place Dallas for the division title, sitting four points back of the Stars with four games remaining and one in hand. St. Louis had its five-game winning streak snapped in Friday’s 6-5 loss to Boston, a spectacular stretch during which it permitted one goal while posting four straight shutouts. Colorado won its first three meetings with the Blues this season before suffering a 3-1 defeat at St. Louis on Tuesday, and followed that up with a lackluster effort in a 4-2 home loss to Washington three nights later. “When you don’t play .500 hockey at home, it’s hard to make the playoffs,” Avalanche coach Patrick Roy told reporters.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, NBCSN
ABOUT THE BLUES (46-23-9): Coach Ken Hitchock tinkered with his lines at Friday practice, replacing Jaden Schwartz with Alex Steen on a unit with leading scorer Vladimir Tarasenko and Jori Lehtera. Hitchcock told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch he may shift Schwartz to a line with the red-shot Paul Stastny and Troy Brouwer while Dmitrij Jaskin will move alongside Patrik Berglund and captain David Backes. Jake Allen, who posted a shutout at Washington in his last start, takes a 1-2-1 record and 3.40 goals-against average versus Colorado into Sunday’s game.
ABOUT THE AVALANCHE (39-35-4): Defenseman Nikita Zadorov sustained a concussion when he absorbed a shot to the head from Washington’s Tom Wilson during the second period Friday, a check that did not draw a penalty. “I didn’t like the hit because, to me, it was a blindside hit,” Roy told reporters Saturday. “I think it was a head shot, should have been penalized. That’s how I see it.” Captain Gabriel Landeskog scored one goal and set up another in Friday’s defeat, but he has tallied only once in 19 games versus St. Louis.
OVERTIME
1. Stastny had recorded four goals and 12 assists over his last 11 games.
2. Avalanche RW Jarome Iginla has reached the 20-goal plateau for the 17th time in his career and is one shy of tying Bobby Hull (610) for 16th place on the all-time list.
3. Blues D Carl Gunnarsson (lower body), who has missed the last three games, could rejoin the lineup Sunday.
PREDICTION: Avalanche 3, Blues 2

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Re: NHL Betting Info. 4/3

Preview: Dallas at Anaheim
When: 9:00 PM ET, Sunday, April 3, 2016
Where: Honda Center, Anaheim, California
The Dallas Stars are closing in on the Central Division title and top overall seed in the Western Conference by using a strong finishing kick against a flurry of playoff opponents. Winners of four in a row and seven of its last eight, Dallas looks to complete an impressive back-to-back when it visits the Anaheim Ducks on Sunday.
The Stars did the Ducks a favor by rallying for a 3-2 victory over Pacific Division-leading Los Angeles on Saturday, giving Anaheim a chance to leapfrog the Kings into first place with a victory on Sunday. With three games remaining, Dallas owns a four-point lead over second-place St. Louis, which has a game in hand. Anaheim, which has played seven in a row against teams eliminated from playoff contention, squandered a great opportunity to overtake Los Angeles with a 3-2 home loss to Vancouver on Friday. “We haven’t played a 60-minute game in a while,” coach Bruce Boudreau said. “We’ll either be an eye-opener (Sunday) or we’ll rise to the occasion.”
TV: 9 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), Prime Ticket, FSN San Diego (Anaheim)
ABOUT THE STARS (48-22-9): Captain and reigning Art Ross Trophy winner Jamie Benn has tallied five times during a four-goal scoring streak to boost his season total to 41 while establishing a career high with 88 points – one more than his total from last season. Mattias Janmark, a 15-goal scorer in his rookie campaign, sustained an upper-body injury in Saturday’s game and will be “out for a little bit,” according to coach Lindy Ruff. Dallas has killed off 22-of-23 short-handed situations over its last seven games.
ABOUT THE DUCKS (43-24-10): Already missing David Perron and defensemen Kevin Bieksa and Simon Despres due to injuries, Anaheim on Friday announced that Rickard Rakell (appendix) and goaltender Frederik Andersen (concussion) were on the shelf. The hits kept coming as Brandon Pirri suffered an upper-body injury that prevented him from practicing Saturday, although blue-liner Hampus Lindholm practiced after missing Friday’s game with the flu. Jakob Silfverberg has scored half of his 18 goals in the last 10 games.
OVERTIME
1. Ducks G John Gibson allowed one goal in winning his first career star versus Dallas.
2. Ruff became the fifth coach in history to record 700 victories with Saturday’s win.
3. The Ducks and Stars have split a pair of meetings this season, with the home team prevailing in each.
PREDICTION: Ducks 4, Stars 2